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UN General Assembly Adopts Resolution to Commemorate Srebrenica Genocide
5-29-2024
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 11 July as the “International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica,” with 84 votes in favor, 19 against, and 68 abstentions. The resolution condemns denial of the genocide and actions glorifying war criminals. It requests an outreach program titled “The Srebrenica Genocide and the United Nations.”
The representative of Germany, who introduced the draft, said it commemorated the tragedy that took place almost 30 years ago, starting on 11 July 1995, when 8,372 Bosnian Muslims were systematically executed in the town of Srebrenica, which had been designated a safe area by Security Council resolution 819 (1993).
In explanation of vote ahead of the vote, Serbia’s President, Aleksandar Vucic, noted that before the session started, he had “already bowed my head and laid a flower” at a memorial for all Bosniaks killed. Calling on “everyone in this room to vote against this resolution” as it is “highly politicized”, he asked its main author, Germany, why it was proposed — as individual legal liability had already been delivered through indictments, verdicts and convictions. Citing the resolution on genocide passed in 2015, he stated that the current text would not bring reconciliation to Bosnia and Herzegovina or the region.
Other countries, including China, Namibia, and the UAE, either voted against or abstained, citing concerns over politicization and regional stability.
The representative of the United Arab Emirates, while condemning any attempts to deny or minimize the genocide in Serbia, said he would abstain, in the context of the destabilizing impact that adoption could have in the region.
The resolution sparked significant debate, with various representatives expressing concerns over its potential impact on reconciliation in the Balkans. Some drew parallels to other historical and ongoing genocides, including in Rwanda and Gaza, highlighting perceived double standards in international responses to such atrocities.
Iran’s representative, welcoming the tributes paid at the outset of the meeting to the memory of his country’s President, Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, who passed away on 19 May, said Tehran voted in favour of the text. The lives lost in Srebrenica were due to egregious crimes committed by individuals; however, they were also victims of power politics and failures of certain Western countries including those who were in the form of peacekeepers at the time of occurrence of this tragedy. Further, he deplored the double standards and selectivity demonstrated by some countries towards the situation in Palestine, adding that the text should serve as a reminder of the responsibilities of the United Nations towards every single Palestinian woman, man and child.
A smattering of other countries also drew a parallel to the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Indonesia’s delegate, who said the international community is “compelled to apply the lessons from Srebrenica to the present day”, as “before our eyes a genocide is unfolding in Gaza”. The world is witnessing “live stream 24/7” the systematic subjugation, maiming and killing of the people in Gaza — and “if there is one thing that we must learn from Srebrenica, it is that inaction is not an option,” he stressed. Noting his delegation’s vote in favour, he nonetheless voiced regret that it had to be put to a vote, expressing a preference for a more inclusive negotiation process towards a consensus text.
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